By the time you read this, I truly hope that winter is little more than a vague memory! It seems that this has been a long one. In the Ozarks, "Ole Man Winter" is brutally sadistic; sunny and mild one day with a biting, icy blast the next…but when the daffodils begin to poke through the matted leaves, the first crocus blooms and the tulips begin to sprout, all thoughts of moving south fade and I remember why Springfield is still, and I suppose always will be, "home."

Nature continually renews itself, and following are a few of the ways in which ICON'S officers are continually working to assure that ICON continues to grow and prosper, renewing itself each year.

I'm very pleased to announce that we have finally decided how we will implement a new program we have been working on for months. ICON'S membership referral program is officially in force! Any current member who refers at least 5 people to the organization (who subsequently join ICON) within any 12 month period will receive their own membership renewal FREE for the following year. Pick up a few of our brochures and carry them in your car or purse so you will always have information to give people who are interested in sharing some of the fun of personal computing. Be sure to have prospective members put your name in the "Referred By" line on their membership application so we can be sure you receive credit for your efforts.

Through the combined efforts of several of ICON'S officers, along with cooperation from library staff, we now have meeting space reserved for all of our events through the rest of 2003. My personal thanks to everyone who helped with this effort. The complete calendar for each month is posted on our web site at: www.iconusersgroup.org

We are trying to arrange with a number of local businesses to have some sort of benefits (such as discounts) for ICON members. Please let me know of business owners or managers you know, who might like to participate in a program that would boost their business and benefit ICON members as well. We would like to include many types of businesses, not just computer related ones. A few possibilities are:

Restaurants, ice cream parlors, theaters, video rental, auto and home services, etc.

In a very real sense, the more each of us works to help ICON grow, the more the organization can help us accomplish our personal computing goals, and maybe even save some money along the way.

Happy Computing,
Terry